Captive
Author: magentabear
Requestor: averita
Claim: Luna drives the Death Eaters crazy while in captivity.
Rating: PG-13
Pairings (if any): Gen
Summary: They had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
Warnings (if applicable): None.
Author's Notes: Thank you so much to the wonderful queenb23more looking this over!
"She doesn't blink."
"What?"
"The girl doesn't blink," Peter whispered. "It's creepy."
Narcissa raised an elegant eyebrow. "This you find alarming? After half a lifetime as a rat and countless times angering the Dark Lord, a girl who doesn't blink frightens you?"
"I didn't say frightened," he squeaked. "It's just strange, is all."
She walked away.
*
"What do you know about that blonde girl, Draco?"
"Very little, Father."
"Was she friends with Potter?"
"They went to one of Slughorn's ‘I'm Better Than You’ parties together," he muttered.
"The parties you did not receive an invitation to?"
He sulked.
Lucius, as usual, ignored this. "Could she have any information about Potter?"
"Nothing I'd believe. Her dad edits The Quibbler."
"Ah." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You know, this really does explain quite a bit."
*
Her wide eyes reflected what little light the room offered. Peter shuffled forward and handed her some old bread.
"Did you inspect this for Cherlin Chums?" she inquired.
"Eat the bread, girl," he whispered.
"Why do you never speak normally? Has your voice run off with a cat?"
"I-what?"
"Step up, mate," the wheezy voice of Ollivander quavered. "Cat got your tongue?"
Peter marshaled his courage. "No, but I have got a wand, so shut up and eat your bread."
"Alright," Luna agreed. "It's rude to talk with your mouth full, after all. My mother taught me that."
"Well bully for her," he said under his breath.
She turned on her heel and walked to Ollivander. Silently, she split the meager portion and proceeded to eat. He patted her hand fondly before turning to glare at Peter.
"I wouldn't share that if I were you," Peter advised with his own watery glare. "Malfoy wants to speak with you tonight and you'll need all the strength you've got."
For once, her voice lost the dreamy quality. "I know what I'm doing, thank you," she told him. "Please leave now."
He opened and closed his mouth. He was the one with the wand, was he not? And she was ordering him around?
But he left.
*
"What kind of conditioner do you use?"
"Clearly a better one than you," Lucius sneered. "I haven't seen hair this stringy since Snape was here last."
"Do be certain none of the ingredients contain Essence of Elevert," Luna said, ignoring his response altogether. "It can cause blindness."
"Your concern is touching."
"Oh no," she said vaguely. "We're much too far away to be touching."
"And yet, we're much too close," he murmured before flicking his wand and wrapping her thin body in ropes.
*
"Draco, you told me she was in Ravenclaw."
"She is, Father."
"She's absolutely nuts."
"I know."
"And you say she and Potter went to a party together?"
He nodded. And sulked. Mustn't forget the sulking.
Well, unless you're Lucius. He ignored his son and grinned slowly. "Why am I not surprised that Potter goes for the crazy birds?"
Draco continued sulking. He had perfected it to a science during sixth year and was now one failure away from making it a classical art.
*
Dolohov entered the room slowly.
"Well?"
He shook his head.
"Nothing? She told you nothing?" Lucius was appalled. Dolohov wasn't called the Spanish Inquisitor for nothing.
"She told me about Nargles," Dolohov said through gritted teeth. "Said they made marvelous pets if only you detoxify their skin and wear proper gloves."
Lucius wondered how he was supposed to respond to that. He suspected he knew how Dolohov did.
"So I hit her with a Cruciatus," Dolohov continued, confirming Lucius' suspicion, "and she suggested dragonhide gloves over europhant."
"Europhant?"
Dolohov flopped into the chair beside Lucuis, who promptly straightened his posture and delicately moved away from the dirtier man. "That girl is crazy," Dolohov growled.
Lucuis was inclined to agree.
*
Snape almost smiled when he learned that Luna Lovegood had been taken captive. Voldemort took this as a good sign. Very few things made Snape smile these days. Not that Voldemort generally cared about the happiness of his minions, but he'd long ago learned that Snape's happiness often correlated with his own. Unfortunately, little did he know that Snape was gleefully planning a minimum of four ways to get that whiny little Peter trapped in a room with her alone.
"My Lord," Snape said, "I know this girl. I know how to get through to her."
"My Death Eaters have had little success thus far."
"The girl has no friends. Give her a friend and she'll give us everything we want."
"Malfoy seems to think she's friends with Potter."
"Malfoy thinks Nagini is a male."
Voldemort nodded. It was a valid point.
"I'd recommend Pettigrew. The girl seems to have a thing for pudgy idiots. She's always with that Longbottom boy."
He studied his snake. "Thank you, Severus. You may go now."
"Thank you, My Lord."
*
"You again?" Luna murmured. "I thought they must have locked you away after not seeing you for so many weeks."
"It's barely been two weeks since I saw you last," Peter stammered.
"Hm. Really?" She flopped around on her dirty mat. "It felt longer."
A strange feeling arose in his chest. It felt vaguely like pity but that was impossible. He hadn't felt pity in years. Spending so much time as a frightened rat tends to do that to a man.
"Where's Mr. Ollivander?" she asked softly.
"Busy."
"Please don't hurt him. He makes such fine wands."
Peter made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat.
"He said he would make me a new one when we got out."
"What makes you think you'll be getting out?" he asked, not entirely unkindly.
Luna pulled herself up into a sitting position. The wall dug into her spine but she met his gaze squarely. "It's not fair. It's not fair for us to die here. Not when I'm so young and he's so old."
"Life isn't fair, girl."
"Sometimes it is, though."
"Maybe it used to be," he said, almost to himself, "but things went wrong a long time ago."
"And we're trying to set it back," she whispered. "We're going to. We're going to win, Peter. I know it."
"You probably won't live to see it," he pointed out. "They're angry at you, Luna."
"Don't try to scare me. It won't work."
Oddly enough, he wasn't trying to scare her. Despite his best intentions, he was almost starting to like the girl. It was very unnerving and he considered cutting her water rations; maybe she'd talk less if her throat was dry.
"Do you know why it won't work?" she asked softly. "It won't work because you're more scared than I am. I can feel your fear and I hate it. You're a coward, Peter Pettigrew."
"You don't know anything about me," he snapped.
She shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I know it's true."
"I'm a Gryffindor, girl."
"You've got the wrong kind of bravery, then."
Peter found that he no longer felt anything close to affection for this scraggly little girl. He was definitely cutting her water rations.
"Say hello to Ollivander when you see him, please," she said before lying back down on her mat and resting her eyes.
The pity was back. Peter hated it.
*
"I don't like her," Bellatrix announced grandly.
"I'm astounded," Snape drawled. "Really and truly shocked."
"Speak to me like that again and I'll stop liking you."
"I wasn't aware you had ever started."
"Stop flirting, you twits," Lucius snapped. "I don't care who likes who. I want that girl talking."
"Rat Boy didn't work like you said it would," Bellatrix said with a sneer to Snape.
"I have a name," Peter whined.
"Not the time, dolt," Narcissa hissed.
"Or at least a he," he said plaintively. "I'm not an it."
"Shut up," she snapped. "You didn't get the girl to talk."
"I've had it with this," Snape broke in to say. "I'm done. Let the girl rot in the dungeons for all I care."
Narcissa wrinkled her nose. "But the smell," she said.
"Oh for-you always were too literal," Bellatrix huffed. "Fine, let her rot. See if I care."
"When was the last time you cared about anyone, dear Bella?"
"Certainly since before I met you, Sevie."
"Draco, please escort your aunt and her darling friend out of our home."
"Yes, Father."
*
No one much minded when Luna was taken away. It was a bit of a problem that the Potter boy escaped, of course, but Narcissa always did like to look on the bright side.
Lucius and Draco bonded during the torture sessions the Dark Lord inflicted on them. This was wonderful. Narcissa knew, after all, that a family that could stay together for the bad times was a family that would stay together in the good times.
Dolohov was around less. This pleased everyone.
Peter's death was, well, not exactly good but it hard for Narcissa to work up much devastation over his absence. He'd never been a happy or particularly useful man.
But then there was dear Bella. Well. She was not happy with this turn of events (she was often heard to be muttering about the finality and thoroughness of Avada Kedavra) but Narcissa found it hard to care about her sister.
Yes, Narcissa liked to look on the bright side.
Requestor: averita
Claim: Luna drives the Death Eaters crazy while in captivity.
Rating: PG-13
Pairings (if any): Gen
Summary: They had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
Warnings (if applicable): None.
Author's Notes: Thank you so much to the wonderful queenb23more looking this over!
"She doesn't blink."
"What?"
"The girl doesn't blink," Peter whispered. "It's creepy."
Narcissa raised an elegant eyebrow. "This you find alarming? After half a lifetime as a rat and countless times angering the Dark Lord, a girl who doesn't blink frightens you?"
"I didn't say frightened," he squeaked. "It's just strange, is all."
She walked away.
*
"What do you know about that blonde girl, Draco?"
"Very little, Father."
"Was she friends with Potter?"
"They went to one of Slughorn's ‘I'm Better Than You’ parties together," he muttered.
"The parties you did not receive an invitation to?"
He sulked.
Lucius, as usual, ignored this. "Could she have any information about Potter?"
"Nothing I'd believe. Her dad edits The Quibbler."
"Ah." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You know, this really does explain quite a bit."
*
Her wide eyes reflected what little light the room offered. Peter shuffled forward and handed her some old bread.
"Did you inspect this for Cherlin Chums?" she inquired.
"Eat the bread, girl," he whispered.
"Why do you never speak normally? Has your voice run off with a cat?"
"I-what?"
"Step up, mate," the wheezy voice of Ollivander quavered. "Cat got your tongue?"
Peter marshaled his courage. "No, but I have got a wand, so shut up and eat your bread."
"Alright," Luna agreed. "It's rude to talk with your mouth full, after all. My mother taught me that."
"Well bully for her," he said under his breath.
She turned on her heel and walked to Ollivander. Silently, she split the meager portion and proceeded to eat. He patted her hand fondly before turning to glare at Peter.
"I wouldn't share that if I were you," Peter advised with his own watery glare. "Malfoy wants to speak with you tonight and you'll need all the strength you've got."
For once, her voice lost the dreamy quality. "I know what I'm doing, thank you," she told him. "Please leave now."
He opened and closed his mouth. He was the one with the wand, was he not? And she was ordering him around?
But he left.
*
"What kind of conditioner do you use?"
"Clearly a better one than you," Lucius sneered. "I haven't seen hair this stringy since Snape was here last."
"Do be certain none of the ingredients contain Essence of Elevert," Luna said, ignoring his response altogether. "It can cause blindness."
"Your concern is touching."
"Oh no," she said vaguely. "We're much too far away to be touching."
"And yet, we're much too close," he murmured before flicking his wand and wrapping her thin body in ropes.
*
"Draco, you told me she was in Ravenclaw."
"She is, Father."
"She's absolutely nuts."
"I know."
"And you say she and Potter went to a party together?"
He nodded. And sulked. Mustn't forget the sulking.
Well, unless you're Lucius. He ignored his son and grinned slowly. "Why am I not surprised that Potter goes for the crazy birds?"
Draco continued sulking. He had perfected it to a science during sixth year and was now one failure away from making it a classical art.
*
Dolohov entered the room slowly.
"Well?"
He shook his head.
"Nothing? She told you nothing?" Lucius was appalled. Dolohov wasn't called the Spanish Inquisitor for nothing.
"She told me about Nargles," Dolohov said through gritted teeth. "Said they made marvelous pets if only you detoxify their skin and wear proper gloves."
Lucius wondered how he was supposed to respond to that. He suspected he knew how Dolohov did.
"So I hit her with a Cruciatus," Dolohov continued, confirming Lucius' suspicion, "and she suggested dragonhide gloves over europhant."
"Europhant?"
Dolohov flopped into the chair beside Lucuis, who promptly straightened his posture and delicately moved away from the dirtier man. "That girl is crazy," Dolohov growled.
Lucuis was inclined to agree.
*
Snape almost smiled when he learned that Luna Lovegood had been taken captive. Voldemort took this as a good sign. Very few things made Snape smile these days. Not that Voldemort generally cared about the happiness of his minions, but he'd long ago learned that Snape's happiness often correlated with his own. Unfortunately, little did he know that Snape was gleefully planning a minimum of four ways to get that whiny little Peter trapped in a room with her alone.
"My Lord," Snape said, "I know this girl. I know how to get through to her."
"My Death Eaters have had little success thus far."
"The girl has no friends. Give her a friend and she'll give us everything we want."
"Malfoy seems to think she's friends with Potter."
"Malfoy thinks Nagini is a male."
Voldemort nodded. It was a valid point.
"I'd recommend Pettigrew. The girl seems to have a thing for pudgy idiots. She's always with that Longbottom boy."
He studied his snake. "Thank you, Severus. You may go now."
"Thank you, My Lord."
*
"You again?" Luna murmured. "I thought they must have locked you away after not seeing you for so many weeks."
"It's barely been two weeks since I saw you last," Peter stammered.
"Hm. Really?" She flopped around on her dirty mat. "It felt longer."
A strange feeling arose in his chest. It felt vaguely like pity but that was impossible. He hadn't felt pity in years. Spending so much time as a frightened rat tends to do that to a man.
"Where's Mr. Ollivander?" she asked softly.
"Busy."
"Please don't hurt him. He makes such fine wands."
Peter made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat.
"He said he would make me a new one when we got out."
"What makes you think you'll be getting out?" he asked, not entirely unkindly.
Luna pulled herself up into a sitting position. The wall dug into her spine but she met his gaze squarely. "It's not fair. It's not fair for us to die here. Not when I'm so young and he's so old."
"Life isn't fair, girl."
"Sometimes it is, though."
"Maybe it used to be," he said, almost to himself, "but things went wrong a long time ago."
"And we're trying to set it back," she whispered. "We're going to. We're going to win, Peter. I know it."
"You probably won't live to see it," he pointed out. "They're angry at you, Luna."
"Don't try to scare me. It won't work."
Oddly enough, he wasn't trying to scare her. Despite his best intentions, he was almost starting to like the girl. It was very unnerving and he considered cutting her water rations; maybe she'd talk less if her throat was dry.
"Do you know why it won't work?" she asked softly. "It won't work because you're more scared than I am. I can feel your fear and I hate it. You're a coward, Peter Pettigrew."
"You don't know anything about me," he snapped.
She shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I know it's true."
"I'm a Gryffindor, girl."
"You've got the wrong kind of bravery, then."
Peter found that he no longer felt anything close to affection for this scraggly little girl. He was definitely cutting her water rations.
"Say hello to Ollivander when you see him, please," she said before lying back down on her mat and resting her eyes.
The pity was back. Peter hated it.
*
"I don't like her," Bellatrix announced grandly.
"I'm astounded," Snape drawled. "Really and truly shocked."
"Speak to me like that again and I'll stop liking you."
"I wasn't aware you had ever started."
"Stop flirting, you twits," Lucius snapped. "I don't care who likes who. I want that girl talking."
"Rat Boy didn't work like you said it would," Bellatrix said with a sneer to Snape.
"I have a name," Peter whined.
"Not the time, dolt," Narcissa hissed.
"Or at least a he," he said plaintively. "I'm not an it."
"Shut up," she snapped. "You didn't get the girl to talk."
"I've had it with this," Snape broke in to say. "I'm done. Let the girl rot in the dungeons for all I care."
Narcissa wrinkled her nose. "But the smell," she said.
"Oh for-you always were too literal," Bellatrix huffed. "Fine, let her rot. See if I care."
"When was the last time you cared about anyone, dear Bella?"
"Certainly since before I met you, Sevie."
"Draco, please escort your aunt and her darling friend out of our home."
"Yes, Father."
*
No one much minded when Luna was taken away. It was a bit of a problem that the Potter boy escaped, of course, but Narcissa always did like to look on the bright side.
Lucius and Draco bonded during the torture sessions the Dark Lord inflicted on them. This was wonderful. Narcissa knew, after all, that a family that could stay together for the bad times was a family that would stay together in the good times.
Dolohov was around less. This pleased everyone.
Peter's death was, well, not exactly good but it hard for Narcissa to work up much devastation over his absence. He'd never been a happy or particularly useful man.
But then there was dear Bella. Well. She was not happy with this turn of events (she was often heard to be muttering about the finality and thoroughness of Avada Kedavra) but Narcissa found it hard to care about her sister.
Yes, Narcissa liked to look on the bright side.